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Spaying a bitch with Syringomyelia.

Following Daisy's diagnosis,I am considering having her spayed.
She's exactly three months since her last season and if I'm to do it,now is a good time and maybe she'll be recovered in time for Christmas.
She was never intended to be a Mom anyway although I dread the thought of having her undergo a surgical procedure..even though I had planned to have her done next year.If I book her in on Saturday next would she be recovered for Christmas?
Sins

I had my SM bitch spay 3 years ago.
I told my vet to put in an IV- this would create a portal to the vein for any drugs she may need if she had an issues on the table. (I worried about her having a seizure on the table)
I had my vet use human grade gas-- the same they give people. AND no drugs (pre-anesthesia) that cross the blood/brain barrier.
My vet kept someone with her the entire time while in recovery. She was trying to stand less than 10 minutes out of surgery. By 30 minutes she was almost normal.

It takes about a week before they look healed-- I'd say it takes over a month before everything inside has dissolved and is fit. I had a bitch take almost 8 weeks to heal because her body was rejecting the dissolvable stitches. She needed to be on special antibiotics because it made open sores etc... She wasn't in my care at the time

I had Chaos spayed when she was 2 1/2 years old when she already had symptoms of SM but I did not realise. My vet always keeps them in overnight so she was fine when I collected her. Was quiet for a few days and not allowed to jump around for a few weeks. I guess it would depend on what your plans are for Christmas whether to have it done before or wait until after. It would probably be good if you are able to spend more time with her.

I know some have had neurologists recommend a spay/neuter because it generally creates a calmer dog which helps with SM. Offhand, I don't know of any special recommendations from neurologists on any need for special procedures or precautions on a procedure like this.

Ruby was spayed before she was diagnosed with SM although i knew she wasnt 'right' by this time.
She recovered at the rate that I thought but she has recovered slowly everytime she has needed to be sedated or anaethetised. It knocks her for six and she isnt right until well in to the next day.

I must say if I had known about the SM it may well have changed my opinions on whether to spay or not.
I have the desision of whether to get Charlie Neutered or not still on my mind as his heart is very weak. He needs to put on some weight before then anyway.

I would agree with Sandy though and discuss your concerns with the vet and see where it goes from there.

I did notice on CC about having difficulties with grooming an SM dog after spaying and I have to say that grooming isnt difficult at all.
I made a desison to clip behind Rubys ears (the very fine fluffy hair) once every 2 months and the 5 minutes of clipping erradiacates daily uncomfortable brushing for her and you cant even tell the difference. I have it down to a fine art!!!

Karen

Ruby - my stunning soul mate who defies the odds every dayCharlie- my angel at heart and devil at play

My vet wants to consult with Riley's neurologist before she has any procedure requiring anesthesia. Just covering all bases, but she wants to be sure that whatever she uses will be something Riley can tolerate. Do you have a neurologist for Daisy yet? If so, you might ask him/her their professional opinion about types and dosages of anesthesia to use and this might help you to put your mind at ease. i think she should be pretty well recovered in a week's time, but I don't think she will have had her stitches out yet (may be wrong on that though) and you will probably still have to restrict her activity some.

If you have insurance perhaps a consult with an endocrinologist would be helpful. The sex hormones are derived from cholesterol, as are other hormones like prednisone. Sex hormones can increase or decrease inflammation, and I don't have anywhere near enough background to tell you which way they could sway things.

An endocrinologist, or perhaps your neurologist, could give you better information about how loss of those hormones could affect her disease.

Karen wrote: Ruby has recovered slowly everytime she has needed to be sedated or anaesthetised.

One of the unforeseen (but useful) consequences of Oliver's first scan was that he too takes ages to come round fully from sedation. So now there is a note of warning on his vet notes, and when he had an X-ray last summer (for his spondylosis) he didn't have a GA at all, just half the normal amount of sedation, and he was fine. At his second scan I warned them about his sensitivity and they gave him the lowest possible dose of sedative and he came round in about an hour. If they don't come round for ages, they probably don't need as much sedative/GA in the first place, and I find vets are very willing to adjust the dose.

The vet didn't seem concerned about spaying her.It'll be scheduled for the new year..he just said the risks are basiclly 0.5% chance of anaesthetic complications,minor risk of infection but they recover very quickly and have a 48 hour post op check and stitches out on day 7.
So I'm going ahead....
He prescribed easotix for the middle ear problems and gave me a second follow up course to administer two weeks after the first.
Then with the ears sorted we can see if the SM is causing her any problems and he'll look at the need for a diuretic.
Sins

My vet's practice has recently introduced keyhole/laparoscopic surgery for spaying. Having had all my Cavvies spayed conventionally in the past, I decided to try the new technique when my Shih-tzu was spayed some months ago. The difference in recovery time was dramatic - there are no external stitches.

They still mention that the op is suitable for bitches over 10kg, but now they have plenty of experience with the procedure, they are happy to include much smaller bitches too - Lucy weighs just over 5 kg.